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season shall serve: "I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest, I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation; I have not concealed thy loving kindness and thy truth from the great congregation"." However, "in season, out of season," the name of the Lord is to be proclaimed, and the everlasting truth to be declared, that Christ is the alone Saviour of fallen man, and that "the Lord is well pleased for His righteousness' sake." "Their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord "."

But the Apostle tells us that the word is profitable also for "reproof." And here we are not to be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, but, in our several stations, to use "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," to edifying, and thus to minister grace. Sin must not lift up its head in our presence, nor malicious vice go unrebuked. "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him '." And to this speaks the wisdom of Solomon in the Proverbs, "Open rebuke is better than secret love;" and in the verse which follows, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful "." Still, reproof must be administered with care. Nothing is more difficult than to do so

7 Ps. xl. 9, 10, Bib. Vers. What is here said is more or less grounded on Jer. Taylor's powerful and not less beautiful Sermon. 1 Lev. xix. 17.

8

Isa. xlii. 21.

9

Ibid. liv. 17.

2 Prov. xxvii. 5, 6.

And

well, and to show that it is charity to our brother,— not to please ourselves, but for his correction. he who "means to win souls, and prevail to his brother's institution, must, as St. Paul did, effigiate and conform himself to those circumstances of living and discourse, by which he may prevail upon the persuasions, by complying with the affections and usages of men ","-in so far forth, that is, as a Christian may, and as is consistent with that straightforward dealing which is the badge of his vocation,-for it is not to be forgotten that "a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways "."

Yet again, our conversation shall be "to the use of edifying and ministering grace unto the hearers,” when it speaks comfort to the wearied souls, and turns them to the Father of mercies and God of all consolation; so that they are ready to take up the parable of the Apostle, and say, "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." It is indeed a glorious thing to be enabled to pour in oil and wine into festering wounds, and, when strengthened in the inner man by the Holy Ghost the Comforter, "to rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep "." This is

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6

* James i. 8.

6 Rom. xii. 15.

real charity, to this the tongues of the good are most fitly framed. Such, love not "in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth"." In this they show likest God, who is love. And it may be, but for the goodness of our God in this sort, the hearts. of many would become weak as water, their spirits. would faint, they would sigh with the breaking of their loins, and their life would be bitterness . It is indeed "the Holy Ghost the Comforter," that preserves poor sinners from despair. When once our wickedness is laid bare to our eyes, and the need of a Redeemer becomes apparent, then, our only hope and refuge, our " tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a covert from storm and rain "," is in Him that "helpeth our infirmities." It is indeed the Spirit which "maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered," that "maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God'." His gracious influences, therefore, let us humbly imitate, and whenever and wherever we can, let us succour all them, who in this transitory life, are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity."

66

66

In these, and in divers other ways, Christian brethren, may we find the means of guiding our tongues with discretion. So may our conversation be to the use of edifying, so may we minister grace

7 1 John iii. 18.

9 Isa. iv. 6.

2 See Isa. 1. 4.

8 See Ezek. xxi. 6.

1 Rom. viii. 26, 27.

to the hearer. And when we consider the text under this view, it must needs cause us infinite sorrow to think how at various times we ourselves have erred from the right way. Consider only the years that have past, the vain and light words we have used therein, the different acceptations in which they have been taken. Look again to words of ill-nature and pride, to whisperings and surmises. Observe the ruin that flattery has brought,-the rents in Christian unity that indiscretion has made. Severally to these things let us give that attention that is meet, and in much sorrow we shall find, that our lips have spoke wickedness, and that our tongues have uttered deceit 2.

The conclusion of the whole matter is, that we should henceforth, by the grace of God, be more wary in our conversation. Guile and our lips should be strangers. We should indeed speak only that which is "good to the use of edifying." We should see that Satan gain no advantage over us in this way. We should "speak of excellent things, and the opening of our lips should be right things "." In the Psalmist's words, "My lips shall speak of thy praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes *." Thus shall our tongue be still our "glory," speech the excellent attribute of man made in the image of God, praise and thanksgiving the perfection of speech.

2 Job xxvii. 4.

3 Prov. viii. 6.

Ps. cxix. 171.

SERMON XIX.

BE COURTEOUS.

VOL. I.

ке

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